Jessica Hische

I have seen this artist in several magazines, including HOW and Communication Arts Jan/Feb 2011 Typography Annual.  I used the card on the left as an inspiration for Parkland College's holiday card.  I love her use of drop shadows to create a paper cut/collage 3D effect without having to cut all of the pieces, which she does in almost all of her designs.  She also has a variety of color choices, depending on her client and what the subject matter is; though a lot of her color choices seem to be the darker hues.  I don't know if she handmade a lot of the type on some of her pieces.  Either way, she is one of my favorite illustrators... I can't get enough of her pieces and look forward to seeing more of her in the future!  You can find her portfolio here.

Mary Blair

From looking on Google today, I found one of their tributes was to a woman named Mary Blair.  She innovated Disney from it's early years down to her retirement.  She worked on many different types of advertisements in the late 1950's, early 1960's and I can see why she's a big influence; even today.  She had an amazing way of using bright colors and different types of lines to inspire such films as Alice in Wonderland (seen to the left) and Peter Pan.

She began to have a different style that seemed to be her own, using mainly watercolors with hardly any line detail to what she did.  The ads were also unique at the time, going away from her usual style.  She was definitely a major influence and always will be.  You can find out more about her online and look at some of her work here.

Mats Gustafson

The illustrator I found this week is Mats Gustafson, which came from looking at Communication Arts November 2005 issue and seeing his illustrations in the catalog below. His illustrations are based on watercolors and inks, creating interesting textures and conveys the object in the simplest matter possible.  Though he's done some sketches and they're as neat as his watercolor illustrations, they don't bring the dynamic feel illustrations like the one on the right.  It also seems that he uses the grayscale as the main color scheme; but when she uses bright colors, it feels more romantic and very organic.  To find some of her work, you can click here.

Jane Mjolsness

This is the work of Jane Mjolsness, whom I found in the Print November 2002 issue.  It's similar to the artwork of Mary Lee Blasutta, but she brings her own style to it, using brighter colors (bringing more vibrancy to her work) and at some points uses simpler line strokes and less detail to convey the subject at hand.  She even has pieces, like below, where she has a simple drawing with her handwriting to explain everything, which I would like to try and put into my own work.

The only thing I wish she would've tried to do was collages like Mary, but maybe it worked out for the best and she does packaging designs for her work instead (like she has above).  Simple is beautiful.  You can find her portfolio here.

Franklin McMahon

I was looking through the old World Book Encyclopedia's down in my basement and came upon one illustration that I loved!  I will eventually get it scanned, but am currently trying to find his website as well.  His name is Franklin McMahon and has been an illustrator for quite awhile.  He has a very interesting way of still showing lots of lines, adding detail, and a unique way of drawing each section and people; even for the articles in the World Book Encyclopedias.  He adds character to everything he draws.  If someone found his main website, please send me the link.  I've been trying to look for his portfolio website and haven't found it yet.